Closing school no easy task; many people involved in the
decision

November 17, 2014

Canceling school for a snow day is more than just looking out
the window.

The day begins between 4:30 and 5 a.m. with telephone calls from
Rock Loiselle, the district’s lead mechanic, to highway
superintendents in the towns of Middleburgh, Fulton and Broome.
He needs to determine whether bus routes will be clear and the
roadways plowed, salted and sanded before he sends Middleburgh
buses out on their often-long runs.

The buses begin to roll to pick up the first students for
out-of-district runs at 5:30 a.m., so a decision of whether to
close school or have a delayed opening must be made by 5:15 a.m.

After he has an idea of the road conditions throughout the
district – which at more than 180 square miles spread over 11
towns is one of the largest in the state – he speaks with school
Superintendent Michele Weaver. By that time, she has monitored
various weather websites and contacted her colleagues at other
area school districts.
There are other factors that play into the decision: the
schedule of the storm, how much snow and/or ice may be expected
and what’s happening outside right now.

“Even if it’s clear and we can get students into school, we need
to know what’s happening later in the day to be sure we can get
them all home safely,” said Weaver. “We have to think more than
12 hours ahead of time when we talk early in the morning.”

When there is a doubt about the future or the known path of a
storm, she said she’d rather cancel school than take a chance.

The same decision process occurs when school is delayed or
dismissed early, said Weaver. If a storm has winded down and
roads will be clear later in the morning, then a delay may be
called. If a storm is gearing up in the morning and will
intensify late in the afternoon, then an early dismissal may be
called.

She has confidence in local highway crews. “It’s generally
better to keep students at school and allow the crews to do
their jobs and clear the roads,” she said. “They know when our
buses will be running and always do their best to clear the path
for us.”

With each decision, Weaver said she is sensitive to families in
which parents may be at work. “We do not want to send children
home to empty homes, if that is avoidable,” she added.

She
also pointed out that the ultimate responsibility lies with
parents every day. "We are going by what we see and hear; if a
parent feels otherwise, they should act in their child's best
interest and keep him or her home from school that day," she
added.

Middleburgh's 30 bus drivers travel more than 2,000 miles every
day of the year, picking up more than 900 elementary, middle
school and high school students on 26 separate routes. Buses
also travel outside of the school district, to BOCES, special
education and private schools as far away as Albany and
Schenectady.

The school buses are equipped with snow tires and tire chains. A
driver, before embarking on a steep roadway, installs the bus
chains around the outside rear tires to boost traction. Loiselle
said it may take 5-6 minutes for a driver to install the chain.
Middleburgh's drivers are experienced and trained for driving in
all conditions.

“Safety is the main issue; the buses wouldn't roll if
we
didn't think we could get there and back safely,” said
Loiselle,
who credited his drivers for the district's excellent safety
record. "We have some of the most experienced and safety-minded
drivers I've ever seen."